Side-by-side placement of fully covered self-expandable metal stents for malignant distal biliary obstruction.

A covered self-expandable metal stent is an efficient and established tool for solution of biliary obstruction. The use of multiple fully covered self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs) for distal malignant biliary obstruction has never been reported. The first case, a 33-year-old female with pancreatic head cancer had low bifurcation of the hepatic ducts and developed obstructive cholangitis by the first single SEMS. The second case, a-59-year-old female with pancreatic head cancer repeatedly underwent biliary decompression by a single SEMS (10-mm, 12-mm), because placed SEMSs were repeatedly dislocated. For solving these problems, we performed side-by-side placement of covered self-expandable metal stents. Finally, side-by-side placement of SEMSs across the papilla for distal malignant biliary obstruction was feasible and available for the two cases.